Electrical battery.



A.S.HUBBARD.

ELECTRICAL BATTERY.

APPLICATION FILED APR.22,191L

1 10 095 I PatentedAug. 4, 1914 INVENTOR MMJ. 7M1

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS UNITED srarnsrarnrrr canton ALBERT S. HUBBARD, OF BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '1'0 GOULD STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL BATTERY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 22, 1911.

Patented Aug. a, 1914,

Serial No. 622,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT S. HUBBARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofBelleville, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Butteries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical batteries and more especially to improvements for etliciently insulating the cells and protecting the lead linings from corrosion due to chemical or electrolytic action.

It is quite customary to provide storage battery cells comprising a wood tank w 1th a lead lining, the tank of course contalnlng the electrolyte and positive and ne ative elements. In such cases it has been ound that the wood of the tank becomes more or less saturated with the acid of the electrolyte because of the acid spray given off by the electrolyte and the supporting means of the cells also becomes more or less conductive due to the deposition of acid or moisture. Thus, due to this or other leakage causes, a more or less conductive path is formed from the lining of one cell as a positive electrode to the lining of a cell which is at lower potential in the series, as a negative electrode of a couple. The current passing over such paths will gradually corrode the lead linings, due to the electrolytic action. The same corroding action may also take place in a single cell itself without the presence of other cells lower in series with it. This is due to contact of the lead'lining with the acid absorbed by the wood of the tank which penetrates clear to the lead lining. This action is like or similar to that when a piece of lead is immersed in sulfuric acid.

One object of my invention is to provide an especially efficient means for preventing such leakage currents and thus avoid the above corrosive action upon such linings or coatings.

A further object of my invention is, while preventing leakage currents as much possible, to provide an arrangement which is simple and easy of COIlStlll .i 1l and economical in construction on] operation} closely about Further objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear from the detail description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and which represents a section through a series of storage battery cells embodying my inven tion in one form.

Referring to the drawing, A, B and C are three storage battery cells connected in electrical series. Each cell comprises a' wooden tank 1 supported by glass insulators 2, the, insulatorsQ being supported by wood stringers 3 which are supported u on pieces of vitrified brick or tile 4'. Eco has an upwardly extending petticoat 2', and the space inclosed by said petticoat 2 is filled or partially filled with oil as at 3. Each tank 1 has a lead lining 5. The positive and negative plates 6 and 7 respectively, which form the positive and ne ative elements of the cells are supports by glass plates 8. The positive plates 6 are separated from the negative plates 7 by sheets 9 ,of wood veneer supported between the plates by slotted dowels 10. The plates are suitably connected by bus bars 11. Over each of the insulators 2 andvbet-ween the insulators and the bottom of the tank 1, I place small sheets of lead 12. These sheets of lead 12 are placed on the outside surface ofthe cell and on the supports of each cell, and in turn supporting the cell, and are connected electrically to the positive terminalor element of that cell by means of wires 13 and the lead lining 5 of each cell is electrically connected to the negative bus or element of the cell by means of a wire or conmotor 14. The sheets of lead 12 are made cup shaped or in the form of inverted pans provided with downwardly extending flanges 12' which encircle and extend quite the upwardly extending petticoats 2'. i

The wood tank, partially saturated with the sulfuric acid forms an. electrolyte of a couple consisting of thelead cushions for electrodes 12 and the tank lining 5. Under these conditions there is a tendency. for current toflow from the lead cushions. 1'2 which form an electrode onthe outside'oi insulator 2 tu'nl" lining or container 5, become immediately ponl an extremely small curtwo. fi'ilefllllfil between any 'te such would the metal) exceeds a cer 'tziin 'vnlue the negative direction, the metal will no longer corroded Thus if iniuerscd in u dilute solution of t. it will not be attacked by the EiClCl if polarized negatively. lrlowlead ordinarily corroded to only it scropic depth ii. it innnersed in sulricid, as its ice becomes coated with-so. insoluble protective layer of lead sulfate, the corrosion does not proceed further unless there is either it different acid present such as would form n soluble lend salt; or unless the loud polarized positi t re latter case only under the cor tiel h hel LUZ .1 will the sol v :2. if the dif i iis value the c is com ed. into lend 'irms protective luv er corrosion, Thus, urreut which would ll v odes 12 to tank lincuuse hoth of these to become polarized and the lead caps or electro' 2 would tend to become corroded to we sulfate, out I hclieve that un inc-st conditions this layer would he or;-

c to lead pcroxid and thus limit the emo nt of corrosion that would take place t q 12 being kept negative with to the electrolyte permeating the it will not he suhject to the Qllllcill corrosion, neither will it he suhj cs-ion by electrolysis as i is :oola rely or in the opposite direction tor this to be possible. There may he small leakage currents from the lead cups l2 over the insulators 5?, through the strii c or ground from cell. to cell, but lln is mi imized by the provision of the oil insulators, 2, 9'", 3 and the provision oi": the s 1:3 in the term of inverted ich leakage would he very in in comparison to that "ow between the metallic electhe metallic tank lining 5 not work against the prongs. The lead plat l2 in. the .n of inverted pans which .7 down over the insulators serve a,

. c purpose. One purpose is to keep down the electrolysis as described and the other purpose is to protect the oil and the insulate; from the dust in the air and from 5 e acid spray. Therefore the inverted pan 9c is special advantage where oil e ditierence of po'teuinsulators are used since they extend over and substantially inclose the oil in the insulator to protect the some.

While l have described my improvements in great detail and with respectto one particular form of battery cell, nevertheless I do not desire to be limited to such details except as clearly pointed outin the appended claims.

Having thus clearly and fully described my invention with respect to one particular @mlmdiinent thereof, what I claim as new unrl desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A. battery cell, comprising at wood tank having; a lead lining, positive and negative plates in the tank, {3, negative and a positive terminal for the cell, insulators supporting said tank end electrodes situated between said insulators and the tank, said electrodes being connected electrically to the positive terminal of the cell and said lead lining being connected to the negative terminal'of the cell, Said insulators hating upwardly extending" oetticocts containin oil and said el ctrodes being in the form of inverted puns having downwardly extending flanges which surround said petticouts.

2, A buttery cell, comprising a tank having a lead lining, positive and negative elements in the cell, insulating means supporting ssidtzink and an electrode placed between the insulating" means and the tank, electrode being electrically connected to the positive element of the cell and said lead lining being electrically connected to the negative element of the cell, said insulating means having an upwardly extend inn petticost containing oil.

buttery cell, comprising a tank having a lead lining, positive-and negative elements in the cell, insulating means supporting said tank and an electrode placed hetwccn the insulating means and the tank and means whereby said loud lining is p0- lsrized negatively with respect to said electrode, said insuluting ine'ans having an upwardly extending petticoat containing oil and said electrode beingin the form of an lllseftfidl pun having a downwardly extending flange to protect the oil in the petticoat.

A battery cell, comprising a tank havbetween the insulating means and the tank, In testimony whereof, I have signed my said electrode being electrically connected name to this specification, in the presence to the positive element of the cell andsaid of two subscribing witnesses.

lead lining being electrically connected to ALBERT S. HUBBARD. 5 the negative element of the cell, said elec- Witnesses:

trode bein in the form of an inverted pan EUGENE F. LINN,

having a aownwardly extending flange EDWARD VAN WAonNnN. 

